It's been shown time and time again, with wine, food and all sorts of other commodities, that consumers experiences and opinions can be heavily swayed by simple rhetoric. A hospitality firm, CatchOn, conducted a pseudo-experiment/prank at a French restaurant in Hong Kong, Serge et le Phoque, to see if diner's would rely on their palette or the word of a "chef" (who was not a chef) when choosing between two different styles of risottos. The results are unsurprising, but still highlight the fact that unsubstantiated hype can often lead to real results.
Charles Pelletier, co-owner of Serge et le Phoque, dressed up in chef whites, and then introduced diners to two different risottos. One risotto, made using homemade ingredients, and another using store bought bouillon and tap water. However, Pelletier talked up the plain, "inferior" version, telling stories of childhood memories, while calling attention to the provenance of the ingredients.
The results? Over a variety of categories, including portion size (which were the same for both dishes), 77% of participants preferred the dish made with tap water and inferior ingredients. As CNN points out, this is a pretty big indication that "a chef's personality in today's food and celebrity-obsessed world is as important as what they serve on the plate". While to some, that may seem like a grim outlook for the future of food, in reality it can be a bonus. While well prepared, thoughtful, tasty dishes are inarguably an important part of dining out, chef's can significantly enhance a diner's experience just through the simple, age-old art of communication. As Pelletier says, "It's the theater of the restaurant."
What do you think, have you been swayed by the hype of a new restaurant or the alluring personality of a social chef? Let us know what you think via Facebook, Google+ and Twitter!
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